Much in demand in the art of mixology throughout the world, Philip nevertheless finds time to give back to the community in full.

Text: One of the cocktail community’s most visible presenters and educators, and an in-demand on-trade & beverage consultant to drinks companies around the world, Philip Duff hails originally from Ireland.

From learning his craft in the vibrant city of Dublin, Philip moved to tend and manage bars in London, New York, Grand Cayman, Rotterdam and The Hague before setting up his Liquid Solutions Bar & Beverage Consulting company in 1999.

Talented, presentable with quick wit and encyclopaedic knowledge of his craft, Philip was soon in demand to teach seminars – which he does in over forty countries a year.

His early career highlights include creating the Total Cocktails on-trade bar training program that won an award from the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, Canada in 2003. From there he went on to organise the world’s first Molecular Mixology seminar in Paris, 2005. And then – ever ready to expand further – he opened Europe’s largest bartending school and in 2007 in Amsterdam he organised an award-winning cocktail-themed visitor experience. From there, Philip helped to create a brand that won Best New Product at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards in New Orleans, 2009.

Also in New Orleans, in 2012 he took the Spirited Awards Golden Spirit award for World’s Best Presenter and became the first ever Director of Education for Tales of the Cocktail in 2013. Always reaching out to express more on his chosen metier, in 2014 Philip recreated the oldest known recipe for gin from a 1495 Dutch-language book in the British Library – that has to be a world first!

Asked why he choose to honour the year 1971 for Heering’s starred anniversary, Philip told me,

“1971 was the year the 8th James Bond movie, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ was released – it was the first, and to date, the only Bond movie or Ian Fleming book featuring Holland, where Bond travels to investigate diamond smuggling.” It ia also a place Philip knows well.

In 2008, Philip opened the Netherlands’ first speakeasy cocktail bar, door 74 in Amsterdam. Drinks there are listed in three different sections: super boozy, medium, and light but ‘you name it – they can make it’ is the name of the game.

In true speakeasy fashion, the bar’s entrance is hidden away. The popular venue quickly hit the scene with a bang as the place to go and it was soon nominated twice as one of the world’s four best cocktail bars (2008 & 2009). It won Best Cocktail Bar and Best Bartender awards in both 2009 and 2011 at the Venuez Dutch Bar Awards. And, after the venue was featured in “World’s 50 Best Bars” it was credited with kicking off an entire wave of classic-cocktail focused bars in the Netherlands.

And, in pride of place, Cherry Heering products hold their own there very well, he tells me.

“I’ve loved the Genever-Cherry Heering flavour combination of grain, spice and cherry since the late 1990s, when I moved to Holland myself and began experimenting with genever and I grew to love it.”

And there’s more to it, he reveals. “Well, ‘Ice’ is slang talk for ‘diamonds’, and Bond as a spy goes undercover as a diamond smuggler, plus Ice Spy sounds like I Spy.

“When a Cherry Heering cocktail (also, coincidentally, made with genever) won a contest I was judging in Copenhagen in 2009 which was to find the official cocktail of Copenhagen, each competitor was generously presented with a 1920s bottle of Cherry Heering, from the family’s private collection. I’d never seen such old bottles before and was impressed.”

Is there a current trend in the industry that is exciting and progressive?

“Definitely the use of historic and accurate ingredients, and a return to simple, straightforward flavours and cocktails, but executed perfectly every time, and without fuss.” He says decisively.

An accomplished and engaging speaker, Philip has many devotees and his sought-after seminars on bartending, cocktails and spirits know-how have been attended by more than 90,200+ bartenders in over 124 cities around the globe since 1999.

Philip was inaugurated into the Gin Guild in 2015. He launched his own brand, Old Duff Genever in New York in 2017 that almost immediately acquired cult status, being listed within a week in every New York bar that was a member of the World’s 50 Best Bars.

His consulting firm Liquid Solutions helps drinks brands connect with the world of bars – it is centred around new product development mainly and encompasses many aspects ranging from copywriting to creating on-trade engagement and education content as well as trade engagement programs.

As well as teaching seminars, founding an award-winning craft-cocktail bar, owning Old Duff Genever, he serves as director of education for Tales of the Cocktail and appears regularly on television and in many international publications as diverse as Esquire, Reuters, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Australian Bartender, Imbibe and Mixology.

And it’s not all take and no give with him. When asked ‘If you had one chance to make our industry better what would you do (and are you doing this already)? He was firm in his reply. “In my own small way I am; my brand Old Duff Genever donates $1 per bottle to charities that cater for bartenders in need, and I’d like to see more brands recognizing that they have a responsibility towards the people who sell their products.”

I couldn’t agree more.

————-end———-

ICE SPY COCKTAIL

Ingredients

(1.5oz/45ml)/1.5 parts Old Duff Genever

(0.5oz/15ml/0.5 parts Cherry Heering

(0.25oz/7.5ml/0.25 parts Cynar 70

2 dashes The Bitter Truth Boker’s Bitters

Method

Stir with ice, strain into an empty pre-chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with lemon zest, expressed over the surface of the glass.

Since the advent of the second Golden Age of Cocktail ten years ago, outstanding mixologists around the world have been venerated along a similar status to that of the football celebrity or movie star – notably in Europe and the Americas. And that’s as it should be. However, it is still not so apparent in other countries.

One example is India where Ashish Sharma, Beverage Manager at the Four Seasons Mumbai works. He says, “I wish that, in the coming years, the Indian market and its consumers will show more respect to its servers and bartenders; and start accepting that working in the bar and beverage industry is a profession. This will help the industry to grow more healthier and in turn will encourage young bartenders to stay longer in the profession.”

He himself has worked and studied hard to get where he is today. “I graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management & Catering, Indira Gandhi National Open University in 2007, then I went to work as Banquet Manager as part of the pre-opening team at the Four Seasons Mumbai. Eventually, looking for more challenges, I moved to the Four Seasons Resort, Landaa Giravaru in the Maldives.”

A significant point in his career came about when he joined the Regent Singapore, another Four Seasons property. It was 2011 and he went in first as Restaurant & Bar Supervisor in the Basilico Restaurant before he was appointed as Assistant Head Bartender at the Manhattan Bar when it opened in 2014, working alongside Bar Manager Philip Bischoff.

He says, “I was part of the pre-opening team and within three years we had racked up a number of accolades including being ranked No.11 in the World’s 50 Best Bars 2016 and last year we ranked in as No.1 on Asia 50 Best Bars list. We were twice nominated in Tales of Cocktails 2015 and 2016 for Best Hotel Bar in the World.”

During his time at the Manhattan Bar, he led, educated and trained the bar team and floor staff by developing new cocktails and working with different and new flavours. By creating a first-in-a-hotel Rickhouse and Ingredients Room, Ashish was able to experiment with barrel aged spirits and cocktails as well as bitters, house-made syrups and liquors. “One of my most memorable and successful concoctions was creating a barrel aged Singapore Sling with Cherry Heering.”

Moving back to India recently, Ashish now heads the Four Seasons Mumbai beverage program where he plans and oversees the centralized preparation of hand-cut ice, fresh juices, custom syrups, spirit infusions, and cocktail batching across all of its F&B outlets.

Along with all of that, his responsibilities also include bar hospitality, cocktail creation, beverage menu creation and staff education for the hotel’s six bars and restaurants, as well as banquets and room service. Whew!

However, his ten years’ experience in the field have enabled him to bring new innovations and styles to the only bar in India to make Asia 50 Best Bars list – AER – ranked at No.37 with its upgraded cocktails and house-made specialties.

The venue is a uniquely glamorous space occupying the entire roof of the 34th floor of the Four Seasons Mumbai. AER is the city’s highest rooftop bar offering a panoramic 360-degree vista of the city and sea under an endless canopy of sky and stars. It makes for a truly memorable experience. Open to the elements, AER’s matchless aspect is further enhanced during monsoon season by the addition of a chic canopy and enveloping windscreen to shelter guests as they experience a most unforgettable drinking encounter of a different kind! It is the place to be for Mumbai’s rich and famous glitterati.

Recognised as an authority in his chosen profession, Ashish was a Judge for Bacardi Legacy India 2016-2017 and World’s Diplomatico Rum Competition 2017 India.

Of the latest trend in India, Ashish says, “The trend now is being detail orientated behind the bar by making the drinks with more precision using innovative flavours and awesome presentations. Today’s consumers are getting more educated about beverages, they know what and how they want their drink to be served.”

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Cherry Heering, Ashish has picked the year 1858. “This is a year that shaped not only the history of India but also of the region. This was the year when the British Raj started in India until it ended in 1947. This was also the period when the East India Company was in the business of trading spices between India and the rest of the world.

“The ingredients I have selected for my cocktail – The British Raj – reflect those moments in history when spices – namely cinnamon, clove, coriander, gunpowder spices and tea – were traded by the East India Company. It was also the company that introduced Cherry Heering to India. For my base spirit, I use Old Monk, an Indian rum that was produced for the British Army.”

THE BRITISH RAJ

Ingredients

45ml Old Monk Rum infused with Cinnamon, Clove & Coriander.

10 ml Averna Amaro

10ml Cherry Heering

10ml Martini Rosso infused with Gunpowder Spices

2 Dash of Earl Grey Tea Tincture

2 Dash of Angostura Bitters

Method

Stir all the ingredients with ice and pour into a Martini glass. Garnish with a twist of orange and a cinnamon stick.

Vasilis Kyritsis was 18 years old and studying to become a nurse when he worked his very first shift behind the bar in hopes of earning a little extra cash. But the money wasn’t the only thing that drew him to the job. “I loved that job from first sight because I really like to have relationships with different people, and that was a nice chance to do it,” he says. What started as a gig ended up becoming a lifelong career: Kyritsis fell in love with the craft, and started experimenting with fresh ingredients in a cocktail era that was still ruled in part by pre-packaged mixes.

Now, over a decade later, Kyritsis is a contender for the 2017 Best International Bartender Spirited Award, and co-owns the world-renowned Athens bar, The Clumsies, with Nikos Bakoulis, who began his hospitality career around the same time as Kyritsis. (Both Kyritsis and Bakoulis are also Greek World Class winners: the former in 2012, and the latter in 2011.) Bakoulis initially found his specialty in wine, but was so intrigued by the quality and potential of cocktail culture that he made the switch. In 2012, the duo opened The Clumsies as a high-energy, high-volume hangout “with cool vibes and high-end drinks,” as Kyritsis says, open from dawn until way past dusk (the bar also serves breakfast and coffee in the mornings). “The Clumsies looks like a big house, and as a house we try to first ‘serve’ hospitality,” Bakoulis explains, adding that their cocktail program prioritizes a tightly focused concept and a flair for the experimental. Apparently their strategy is working: The Clumsies is currently ranked ninth on the prestigious World’s 50 Best Bars list.

One might think that operating one of the world’s best high-volume cocktail bars keeps you busy, but somehow, the pair manages to make time for other projects, like recently leading a Cherry Heering masterclass in April. “We did great tastings with Heering, old-school bitters, new age bitters, different spirits, combinations with stuff that you can find in markets,” says Kyritsis. “It was a fancy way for the bartenders to understand the amazing and beautiful combinations [you] can have with a liqueur so complex and so old with rich history.” The brand will celebrate its bicentennial in 2018, and to celebrate, they’re hosting a series of educational workshops and masterclasses by bartenders, for bartenders in more than 60 cities around the globe. When the tour came to Athens, Vasilis and his bar were a given.

This year, Bakoulis and Kyritsis also launched their own vermouth brand, Otto’s, which took about two-and-a-half years from initial concept to market launch. (The spirit is a delicate, rose-hued floral blend of almost entirely Greek ingredients.)

As innovative and passionate luminaries in their field, Kyritsis and Bakoulis have a lot of wisdom to share. One thing they both encourage bartenders to do: expand your perspective by traveling. “I believe the key point to upgrading my skills was to travel a lot in different countries trying to discover their culture, tasting combinations in restaurants, and speaking with other bartenders around the world,” says Kyritsis. “The most important thing in this job is to open your eyes and your mind.” Bakoulis agrees: “I follow a lot of seminars and I travel around the world because this is, for me, the biggest lesson for the bartender,” he says.

And, as hospitality professionals, they both agree that a bartender’s attitude can make or break a guest’s experience, no matter how good the drinks are. “The basic skill that a bartender has to show for me is not to be miserable, which means that he or she always tries to find solutions to the problems that a bar can face, and to have positive energy behind the bar,” Kyritsis says. “A smile is the most important thing to make your guests trust you.” In fact, Bakoulis explains that the workflow and bar setup at The Clumsies was engineered with this in mind: the morning “lab shift” preps for the more complicated drinks behind the scenes, so that during busy evening shifts, bartenders are able to not only serve drinks faster, but also have more time to interact with guests. “Our bartenders have the time to smile, serve, and have their head up for [making] eye contact,” Bakoulis says.

As for taking your craft to the next level, Bakoulis says, it’s all about networking and collaborating. “Work really closely with different professionals or legends and different companies: this way, the bartender starts to combine the diversity of all those elements and the result is to create multitasking skills,” he says. “If you combine those things with travels around the world and keep your mind open, you can [achieve] the next level of bartender.”

Perhaps most importantly? Don’t expect to achieve overnight success, and don’t forget that success is often the result of many, many small failures along the way. “As our food scientist at The Clumsies told me one time, 98 percent of your tests fail and only two percent give amazing results,” says Kyritsis. “It is a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll, so be patient and keep trying.”

Vasilis’s Highball Sling

45 ml London dry gin

15 ml Cherry Heering

30 ml Clarified pineapple juice

0.4 gr Citric acid

1 pinch salt

5 ml Benedictine reduction

100 ml Coconut water

Prep: Chill all your ingredients and put them into a chilled cream siphon . Put a soda charger in and de-gas it. Then, put one more charger and create carbonation. After five minutes, open it, and serve straight into a chilled highball glass — the way you would serve champagne.

See some of the word’s best bars – The World’s 50 Best Bars and nominated at TOTC, shake up their own versions of the unparalleled Singapore Sling, one of history’s most classic cocktails. You will get to taste and grade the Slings made by specially invited bartenders:

THE PETER F. HEERING CLASSICS QUALIFICATION ROUND STARTS APRIL 18; BARTENDERS AROUND THE GLOBE TO CREATE A CLASSIC WITH A TWIST HIGHLIGHTING A REMARKABLE 200 YEARS OF HEERING

April ––2017 (Stockholm, Sweden) —CHERRY HEERING’s role in cocktail history continues 200 years later. CHERRY HEERING is about to shake up the next modern classic as celebrations begins for the Bicentennial of CHERRY HEERING, a feat achieved by only a handful of consumer brands worldwide and rare in the spirits world.

The Peter F. Heering Classics 200th Anniversary Edition is here! CHERRY HEERING is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the original iconic cherry liqueur and is looking for bartenders to create something equally unique, a favorite classic cocktail, add Heering and give it an unexpected twist. The qualification round starts April 18, 2017.

Around the World in 80 Cities – Beyond the Singapore Sling and Blood & Sand

The HEERING® Global Masterclass Tour will kick off the celebration with a multi-faceted workshop aimed at exploring and inspiring the flavor pairings possible in utilizing CHERRY HEERING® in an original spin on a classic cocktail in 80 cities around the globe executed by bartenders from the W50BB (World’s 50 Best Bars) and other global great faces from our community. Bartenders will taste this classic liqueur with 12 different spirits, an array of bitters, produce and other modifiers and explore possibilities together around the world.

How Important is CHERRY HEERING to Bartenders?

It is often noted by bartenders, that the classic two-volume The Gentleman’s Companion, first published in 1939 by Charles H. Baker (one of the first original cocktail books in the world and still one of the most important) there are more than 130+ cocktail recipes that include Cherry Brandy (thusly, CHERRY HEERING) that is how important CHERRY HEERING has been in cocktails, past, present & future.

“After 200 years it is still all about the bartender making a connection back to the most important element of what we all do, the customer”, said Adéle Robberstad, CEO Peter F. Heering

”Having the best bartenders around the world making and shaking Cherry Heering Classics with a twist for people at the bar and showing people at home or even in this case an airplane how to make their own classic, is truly what makes the 200 years even that much more exciting!”

The Peter F. Heering® Classics is an annual global competition in four rounds, with bartenders from around the world competing to become one of the ten finalists shaking it up at the final during London Cocktail Week 2018 and The World’s 50 Best Bars.

THE COMPETITION

The 200th Anniversary Competition will be divided into four rounds from April 2017 to the Grand Finale in October 2018.

ROUND 1[April – May 2017]

MODERN CLASSIC WITH A TWIST | The first challenge is all about creating the next Modern Classic. CHERRY HEERING is asking bartenders to choose a classic cocktail and give it an unexpected twist. Needless to say, the cocktails must include CHERRY HEERING, after all this is Modern Classics brought together by the one Classic – CHERRY HEERING ™. The top 75% from each region: Europe, Asia, Middle East/Africa, North America, Latin America and Australasia, will proceed to the next round.

ROUND2[October – November 2017]

MODERN CLASSIC IN THE SKY | Sometimes simplicity is key – especially 10,000 meters up in the air. This challenge is about simplifying the Modern Classic so that it can be recreated in the aircraft cabin. It still has to look and taste like their Modern Classic from round 1. We therefore recommend bartenders use commercially available products. The ten best contestants from each region will then proceed to the next round.3

ROUND 3[April – May 2018]

200 YEARS CELEBRATION COCKTAIL | To celebrate 200 tasteful years, CHERRY HEERING invites you to create a 200 Years Celebration Cocktail. The cocktail should:

– Be a tribute to Cherry Heering turning 200 years – Be a cocktail contribution for the next century to come – Be timeless, i.e. the next Modern Classic – Embody everything that Heering stands for

The contestants will get to present their cocktails themselves in a video. The top ten finalists will then proceed to the final round.

ROUND 4[October 2018]

THE GRAND FINALE | The top ten finalists will get personal coaching from the judges before the Grand Finale and be filmed by Difford’s Guide for Heering Legends.

The finalists will personally present their take on the 200 Years Celebration Cocktail at the final during London Cocktail Week 2018 and The World’s 50 Best Bars. They will be judged by our international expert jury lead by Simon Difford and cocktail experts from around the world.

In 1818, the young Peter F. Heering saw the intrinsic potential in an old cherry liqueur recipe that was bestowed upon him. The word spread and soon everybody wanted a taste of the sophisticated Danish liqueur. As with all things fashionable, the aristocracy caught on quickly.

Peter F. Heering’s liqueur company was purveyor to royal courts from Great Britain to Japan.

Throughout it’s 200-year-long history, Cherry Heering has been a small but indispensable component of iconic cocktails such as the Singapore Sling and Blood and Sand. Today, as we celebrate the iconic cherry liqueur’s 200th anniversary, Heering can be found in cocktail bars all over the world – and will surely remain there for another 200 years.

In classic fashion, Peter F. Heering® announces the 10 global semifinalists of the 2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge. The CHERRY HEERING® 10 global bar star semifinalists will appear in London, England as the 2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge embarks on the final rounds of competition leading into the grand finale of the 2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge, all taking place during the famed London Cocktail Week (October 4th – 6th 2016).

“The 2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge culminating in London against the backdrop of London Cocktail Week and the announcement of the World’s Top 50 Bars simply elevates and puts an incredibly bright spotlight on all of the creative efforts and talents of these elite bar men and women”, said Adéle Robberstad, CEO Peter F. Heering “They have earned this stage and this recognition, they are Cherry Heering.”

The 2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge top 10 semi-finalists will be flown out to London and compete live, shaking up their inspired modern classic cocktail with CHERRY HEERING®. The semi-finalists will present in person their CHERRY HEERING® cocktail contribution to an international jury who will choose five finalists from the ten.

The CHERRY HEERING® inspired finale will take place October 6th at Joyeux Bordel London where the five finalists will personally present their CHERRY HEERING® modern classic cocktails and philosophy behind. The 2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge winner receives €500, a Stelton Shaker and global media exposure

Apart from the honor and media attention, all ten 2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge semi-finalists will receive airfare and four hotel nights in vibrant London, and they will all be part of the Global Heering Legend program filmed by bar legend Simon Difford – The Heering Legends on Diffords Guide.

2016 Peter F. Heering® Classic Challenge – Global Jury
Simon Difford – Simon Difford is one of the worlds most renowned and respected drinks experts. Simon writes and publishes the Difford’s Guide range of drinks related books, the best known being ‘Difford’s Guide – Cocktails’ with 3,000 color-illustrated recipes. He is also the creator of London Cocktail Week, the UK’s biggest cocktail festival.

David Wondrich – Esquire Magazine’s drinks correspondent, James Beard Award Winner for his book Imbibe! and founding partner on Beverage Alcohol Resource, the United States leading training program for bartenders and other mixologists

Din Hassan – A veteran from the Singapore nightlife industry, Din’s experience behind the bar has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding in our time. Din is one of the academy members of The World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars

Hamish Smith – A multi-award winning drinks journalist at Drinks International Magazine, where he is deputy editor, and CLASS, where he is editor. As part of his role at Drinks International he is the co-ordinator of the The World’s 50 Best Bars poll and editor of the brand’s series of magazines.

Lauren Mote – Co-proprietor of Bittered Sling, a wildly successful line of high quality small batch cocktail and culinary bitters and Bar Manager at UVA, Wine & Cocktail Bar based in Vancouver, BC

Charlene Dawes – Managing Director and Owner of Tastings Group Limited, overseeing six specialty bars & restaurants in the Central district, Hong Kong. One of them “Quinary” was named one of the “World’s 50 Best Bars from 2013 to 2016 by Drinks International Magazine.

Peter F Heering has announced the 10 global semi-finalists of its 2016 Classic Challenge.

The 10 global bar star semi-finalists will come to London during London Cocktail Week, October 4–6.

Heering CEO Adéle Robberstad said: “The 2016 Peter F Heering Classic Challenge culminating in London against the backdrop of London Cocktail Week and the announcement of the World’s Top 50 Bars simply elevates and puts an incredibly bright spotlight on all of the creative efforts and talents of these elite bar men and women.”

The 2016 Peter F. Heering Classic Challenge top 10 semi-finalists will be flown to London – all will receive airfare and four hotel nights in London, and compete live. They will present their Heering cocktails to an international jury who will choose five finalists.
The final will take place October 6 at Joyeux Bordel, London where the five finalists will present their cocktails and the philosophy behind them. The 2016 Classic winner will receive €500 and a Stelton Shaker.

The Classic Challenge jury comprises:

♣ Hamish Smith – Deputy editor at Drinks International and editor of the new quarterly Class. As part of his role at DI, he is the co-ordinator of the The World’s 50 Best Bars poll and editor of the brand’s series of magazines.
♣ Simon Difford – Difford writes and publishes the Difford’s Guide range of drinks-related books, the best known being ‘Difford’s Guide – Cocktails’.
♣ David Wondrich – Esquire Magazine’s drinks correspondent, James Beard Award winner for his book Imbibe! and founding partner on Beverage Alcohol Resource, a training programme for bartenders and other mixologists in the US.
♣ Din Hassan – A veteran from the Singapore nightlife industry. Hassan is one of the academy members of The World’s 50 Best Bars and Asia’s 50 Best Bars.
♣ Lauren Mote – Co-proprietor of Bittered Sling, a line of small batch cocktail and culinary bitters and bar manager at UVA, Wine & Cocktail Bar based in Vancouver.
♣ Charlene Dawes – Managing director and owner of Tastings Group, overseeing six specialty bars & restaurants in the Central district, Hong Kong. One of them ‘Quinary’ was named one of the “World’s 50 Best Bars from 2013 to 2016 by Drinks International.

20 national winners made it among over 2 000 entries and got the honour to present their Sling menus to our international expert jury. 20 were to become 10, but the high level of skill among the contestants made it impossible to choose less than 12.

“We’ve sipped quite a few Slings in our days, but this year’s contestants have really raised the bar for what the legendary Singapore Sling can be. The new Sling menus and the skill, craftsmanship and creativity that was poured into each Sling blew us away. Watch out – these 12 will be dictating tomorrow’s cocktail culture.” – Adéle Robberstad, CEO, Peter F. Heering.

The jury has now reached a cocktail verdict. We proudly present you with the names behind the 12 best Sling menus competing in the final in NYC September 22nd. Cheers!

Country Name Bar/Restaurant

Australia Matthias Aso Sydney Hilton (Zeta Bar)

France Jeremy Lafrance Le Calbar

Great Britain Francesco Lombardi Rivington Grill Shoreditch

China Hungie Fong Origin India

Guru Prashanth High Ultra Lounge

Ireland Richard Grimsey Classic Restaurant Limavady

Luxembourg Dawid Guzik Octans Spirited Bar

Netherlands Timo Janse Door 74

Sweden Christoffer Johansson Puta Madre

Taiwan Max Ciou Above Piano Bar

UAE Brendan Shorrock Peppercrab Grand Hyatt Dubai

USA Matthew Farley The Joy Luck

We’d also like to propose a toast to our global expert jury for the NYC finale

Julie Reiner. Cocktail icon and founder of internationally top ranking bars Flatiron Lounge, Pegu Club and Clover Club. Clover Club has been listed in Drinks International’s “The World’s 50 Best Bars” two years in a row. Julie was Awarded “Best Bar Mentor” at Tales of the Cocktail 2014.

Joaquín Simó. Multi-awarded mixologist and owner of Pouring Ribbons. Joaquín has served as panelist at Tales of the Cocktail, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, the Copenhagen Spirits & Cocktail Conference, Paris Cocktail Spirits and the Gourmet Latino Festival.

Toby Cecchini. Writer and bartender who graced Death & Company and Fort Defiance with his bartending skills before founding the widely acclaimed Long Island Bar in 2013. Toby has written Cosmopolitan: A Bartender’s Life as well as numerous articles for GQ, Food and Wine, Saveur and The New York Times .

Sam Ross. Bartender extraordinaire, consultant, multiple Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards nominee and 2011’s American Bartender of the year. After working closely with Sasha Petraske at Little Branch, Sam re-christened the influential Milk & Honey space as Attaboy in 2013 and continues Sasha’s legacy of classical techniques and craft cocktails.

Peter F. Heering also has had the unique honor to be purveyor to every royal court worthy of their name while possessing the proper style, class and breeding to socialize across the courts of the world. HEERING® has always been fashionable.

CHERRY HEERING liqueur is sold in more than 100 countries all over the world and is the essential ingredient in the world famous Singapore Sling and Blood and Sand cocktails. For more information about Peter F. Heering, please visit www.heering.comwww.facebook.com/heeringliqueur cherryheering Heering Singapore Sling